I was going through the posts
on Bimmerforum.com today and I came
across one on how to remove your grill. Since I had nothing better to do I
decided to try and remove my E36 grill. The following is a list of materials
that I used, screwdriver form trunk toolkit, flathead screwdriver
attachment, and a mirror to see what you are doing.

First I removed the black
panel above my grill by using the screwdriver form my trunk tool kit. There
were six screws. Four are metal, and two are plastic. Be careful with the
plastic ones, and remember to remove the plastic grommets that go around
them. The red arrows point to metal screws, and blue arrows point to plastic
screws.

Once the screws are out you
should be able to slide the black panel out of your way, do not try to
detach it, it is not worth it. You have to kind of rock the panel, to get it
out and back in again. By now your car should look like this.

Now you should be able to
access the grills. To get the grills out you need to separate them from the
chrome surrounds that hold them in place. To do this you will need to use
the flat head attachment, or a small screwdriver to work in the tight space.
Once you have gotten the flathead between the chrome part and black part,
place pressure on the front of the grill to separate the two pieces. You now
have to repeat this process with each clip. Remember to be careful and not
break the clips, they are tough, but not indestructible.

This was my
favorite tool because it was the only one small enough to fit in the tight
areas.

Once you have
separated the black part form the chrome part you can slide the grill out.
After you have one grill out, it is time to go on to the next one.

With
both grills out your car should look like this.

Not really having
a good reason to take out the grill, I decide to give them a much needed
bath before putting them back.

When you are
finished removing your grills, simply reverse the process to put them back
in.